Basketball

Patrick Beverley is getting blasted by current and former NBA hoopers after criticizing Chris Paul on TV this morning ... with Damian Lillard and Matt Barnes going in on the NBA vet.

Pat Bev ripped Paul -- aka the "Point God" -- on 'First Take' on Monday for his abysmal performance in Game 7 against the Mavericks, saying head coach Monty Williams should've benched the future HOF'er.

FYI, Paul scored 10 points in 30 minutes. The Suns got their doors blown off, losing 123-90 ... at home.

The criticism didn't sit well with Dame, who hit social media and wrote ... "Bra on TV acting like his word law. Speaking on private convos and praying on mfs downfall. This weird behavior smh 🤷🏽‍♂️ … I ain’t got a horse in the race."

Beverley, who was eliminated from the playoffs in the first round, said he knew the Mavs would win yesterday because "aint nobody afraid of anybody over there in Phoenix, man."

"Everybody in the league knows that," he continued.

And, Dame wasn't the only person Bev rubbed the wrong way (today) ... Matt Barnes went in on PB on ESPN's 'NBA Today.'

"I feel like what Pat Beverley did today to Chris Paul was completely disrespectful and out of the line," Barnes said. "Pat Bev is talking like he's that guy. You're not that guy."

He continued ... "Chris Paul played terrible this year and his numbers are still better than your career numbers have ever been," Matt said, adding, "The disrespect needs to be checked."

Barnes was clearly not here for Pat Bev coming after CP3, a future NBA Hall of Famer, and feels next time he needs to be put in his place for coming at Paul -- a star in the league.

As for Pat Bev and CP3, this is just the latest drama in their long-standing rivalry. Remember, Beverley pushed Paul in the back during the Western Conference Finals last season.

Beverley served a one-game suspension for his actions, but ultimately seemed to squash the beef with Paul on social media, wishing CP3 good luck during the 2021 NBA Finals.

New York Knicks legend Willis Reed's warmup jacket from Game 7 of the 1970 NBA Finals -- one of the most famous moments in basketball history -- is about to hit the auction block, and is expected to sell for a huge chunk of change!

TMZ Sports has learned the infamous jacket Reed wore during the "Willis Reed Game" ... as he limped onto the Madison Square Garden court for the deciding contest against the Los Angeles Lakers will soon go to the highest bidder.

Remember, Reed tore his thigh muscle in Game 5 of the series against L.A., and missed Game 6 because of the serious injury.

With Willis out, Wilt Chamberlain went off, dominating the Knicks, and forcing a deciding game 7.

The Knicks appeared to be in big trouble ... as almost no one expected Reed to play in game 7, despite the Knicks being just 4 quarters from a title.

But, after receiving medical treatment on his torn thigh, Reed somehow hobbled onto the court at MSG ... and fans couldn't believe it.

Reed, who was severely limited during the game, scored just 4 points and collected 3 rebounds ... but it was about more than just his contribution to the box score.

Willis, now a College and Basketball Hall of Famer, inspired his teammates with his heroics, leading the Knicks to a game 7 win and an NBA championship.

Fellow Knicks legend Walt "Clyde" Frazier scored 36 points, and dished 19 assists in one of the finest game 7 performances of all-time.

Throughout the historic night, from the time he ran on the court to while he sat on the bench and watched the game, Reed wore his NYK warmup.

Now, that jacket is soon to be available at Grey Flannel Auctions ... with a starting bid of $10K.

The closing price will be significantly more money.

GFA tells us the warmup jacket has been photo-matched to ensure its authenticity. Experts examined several images of Willis in the jacket, including stills from his interview with legendary broadcaster Howard Cosell during the team's championship celebration.

The size "48" and "L" jacket has the Knicks' "NY" logo in orange and blue on the left chest ... and the words "New York" are on the back in the same colors as the front.

Reed's iconic jacket officially goes up for auction on May 16.

Kyrie Irving might not have to worry about having "trash" shoes anymore ... Nike is reportedly "unlikely" to renew its signature shoe deal with the Brooklyn Nets star after next season.

Irving's relationship with the company could change "dramatically" in the future, according to ESPN ... but his (potentially) final shoe release is slated to go down as expected in the fall.

If the report is true, there is a possibility retro Kyrie shoes could still be released in the future ... but as of right now, it sounds like the Kyrie series is getting shelved.

Remember, the 2016 NBA champ -- who's been a Nike athlete since 2011 -- went off on the Swoosh back in July ... calling leaked pics of his "Kyrie 8" sneaker "trash."

He claimed he was not part of the design or marketing of the kicks ... saying, "I have Absolutely nothing to do with them!"

Irving later admitted he handled things poorly ... and he was working with the shoe giant to fix his issues with the 8s.

Of course, Irving has been at the center of a ton of controversy over the last year ... missing half of the NBA season after he refused to get vaccinated for COVID. It's unclear if the coronavirus drama is playing a part in Nike's impending decision, considering they already had beef to begin with.

Nike elected not to confirm or deny the claims ... telling ESPN, "We don't comment on contracts or rumors or speculation. Kyrie remains a Nike athlete."

Jimmy Butler is ruthless for this one.

The Miami Heat superstar got the last word in after eliminating the Philadelphia 76ers from the playoffs on Thursday ... straight-up roasting his former team for letting him go and choosing to keep Tobias Harris.

"Tobias Harris over me," Butler yelled as he went to the lockers after dropping 32 points in the Game 6 win in Philly. "Tobias Harris over me?!?"

There were also a few expletives ... although it's unclear what Jimmy Buckets said. Whatever it was, it had the arena and team staffers nearby awkwardly smiling at each other.

Of course, the Sixers traded for Butler in 2018, but shipped him off to the Heat via a sign-and-trade deal the next offseason. Philly eventually signed Tobias to a 5-year, $180 million deal ... with hopes of building around Ben Simmons.

Butler has proven to be a top talent in the league ever since ... including a memorable performance in the 2020 NBA Finals against LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers -- averaging 26 points, nearly 10 assists and 8 rebounds.

The move still puzzles Sixers MVP candidate, Joel Embiid, to this day -- after the game, he said, "I still don't know how we let him go."

"I wish I could have gone to battle with him still."

Kendrick Lamar is back ... K-Dot just released his highly-anticipated "Mr. Morale & the Big Steppers" album -- and he brought up Kyrie Irving and his COVID drama with some sick bars on one of the new songs.

The track, called "Savior," is just a little under 4 minutes in length and features Baby Keem & Sam Dew -- and starts off with the California native referencing the Nets superstar and his vaccine stance.

"Seen a Christian say the vaccine mark of the beast," KL rapped. "Then he caught COVID and prayed to Pfizer for relief. Then I caught COVID and started to question Kyrie."

Clever wordplay from the MC ... but, of course, the bigger takeaway is him mentioning Kyrie, who missed a significant number of games for the Nets after refusing to get the jab.

Irving was ripped all season by NBA fans, the media, and celebs -- most notably comedians Chris Rock and Howard Stern -- for not getting vaxxed, but he never ended up taking it.

The line from Kendrick doesn't appear to be a dig at the 30-year-old. And, it seems Irving -- who was seen on Instagram Live on Thursday bumping the new Kendrick album -- isn't taking it that way. The point guard commented on the song during a recent Twitch stream, saying, "I'm not mad. I'm not indifferent. I'm just grateful. How about that?"

In a recent social media post ahead of the release of the new project, Kyrie also captioned a pic of Lamar with the words "We appreciate you Dot....."

Brittney Griner will remain in custody in Russia for at least another month ... a judge just denied her request for house arrest, forcing her to stay in jail for another 30 days.

The 31-year-old WNBA superstar appeared in a Russian courtroom on Friday morning with the hopes of getting out of jail ... but her attorney told the Associated Press that did not happen.

The attorney, Alexander Boikov, did say, though, that because of the short nature of the custody extension ... he did believe a trial in Griner's case might be coming soon.

Griner wore an orange sweatshirt to Friday's hearing, and left the courtroom with a hood up over her head. In photos of her leaving her appearance, you can see she was wearing cuffs on her wrists.

As we reported, Griner has been in custody in Russia since February -- after she allegedly had hash oil in her luggage at an airport.

She's now had her requests for house arrest denied at least two times by judges as her pre-trial detention has dragged on.

United States officials, meanwhile, have classified her as "wrongfully detained" ... and are attempting to negotiate her release.

Memphis-born rapper Al Kapone -- most famous for his hit song "Whoop That Trick" -- says Warriors superstar Steph Curry can't use his signature line ... especially against his hometown Grizzlies!!

TMZ Sports spoke with the Southern MC after Memphis' 134-95 blowout win over Golden State Wednesday night ... and asked him how he felt about Curry saying his game plan heading into Game 5 was, "Whoop that trick."

"To be honest with you, I had two different feelings," Kapone said. "One feeling was, 'Wow, Steph Curry just said whoop that trick.' That was one feeling. Like, 'Man, this is pretty big.'"

"But the other side was -- you can't say that against my team. [I] was excited on one end, 'cause it was Steph Curry. But on the other end, you can't use that against my team."

Kapone -- who debuted the banger in 2005 -- said the Grizzlies tapped him to perform the record Wednesday night ... and once he saw Curry on the court, he knew what he had to do.

"I'm running around the court like I normally do," Kapone said, "getting the crowd pumped, and I just so happen to look up and notice -- there he is right there."

"I gotta make you eat those words right now, for Memphis!!!"

Of course, the song is a big deal because of its Southern roots ... but also because Terrence Howard performed it in the hit movie "Hustle & Flow" featuring Taraji P. Henson.

"It's amazing to have a song that's on the level of 'We Will Rock You,'" Al said. "It's amazing to know I birthed something that's iconic, and I'm here for every moment of it."

Speaking of TH, Al tells us he would love to share the stage with Howard and perform the legendary song together ... whether at a concert or a Grizzlies game.

"I talked to Craig Brewer, who is the writer and producer of Hustle and Flow, and we have had that conversation," Kapone said. "We're definitely trying to make that happen."

A woman at the Celtics' playoff game on Wednesday needed a boost -- literally -- 'cause she couldn't see what was happening on the court ... thanks to 7'6" Tacko Fall blocking her view.

The funny moment went down Wednesday night during Game 5 of the Celtics' series against the Bucks ... when a fan -- who is not 7'6" -- was trying to take in some playoff basketball ... but instead, she got a clear view of the back of Tacko's head.

In the clip, an arena staffer walks over to give the woman a booster seat -- much to her delight -- so she could finally watch the game in peace.

Tacko, a former member of the Celtics, turned around and acknowledged the debacle ... and shared a smile with the woman over it all.

Of course, both sides were great sports over the whole thing ... but it could have been a legit problem -- the seats were very close to the court, which comes with a hefty price tag.

Once the lady got the boost she needed, she was able to see well over Tacko.

No word on if the booster seat caused a domino effect with the people sitting behind her ... but we're assuming everything worked out.

Milwaukee staved off elimination on the court ... thanks to a 40-piece from Giannis Antetokounmpo.

Tacko previously talked to TMZ Sports in the past about his other issues with being so tall ... saying it's really tough to take a shower!!

After 45 years, the NBA's Larry O'Brien Trophy is getting a makeover.

The league just debuted the new-look championship trophy on Thursday ... showing off Tiffany & Co.'s redesign of the iconic award.

The new trophy won't differ too much from its predecessor -- its size, shape and weight will remain the same -- but there are some awesome new features to spice up its look.

For instance, in honor of the league celebrating its 75th anniversary, the new LOB trophy will have the names of the first 75 NBA champions etched on it ..., and moving forward, the name of each champion's name will be added to the bottom disc.

The trophy -- formerly known as the Walter A. Brown trophy --  was named after then NBA commissioner Larry O'Brien in 1984.

Victor Solomon -- the mastermind who designed the NBA All-Star Game Kobe Bryant MVP Award -- teamed up with Tiffany to create the new-look award, which features sterling silver on the 24-karat gold basketball that sits atop.

In addition to the remodeled NBA Finals trophy, the league announced that there will be Conference Finals MVP trophies named after Larry Bird and Magic Johnson ... who played a pivotal role in elevating the sport with their rivalry in the '80s.

LaMelo Ball is adding to his ink collection -- the Charlotte Hornets star just debuted some brand new hand tattoos this week ... and they're out of this world!!

The 20-year-old former Rookie of the Year -- who already has a chest piece and forearm tat -- got more work done with his go-to guy, Herchell Carrasco.

The tats feature butterflies, a UFO, LaMelo's "LaFrance" brand logo, and "Not From Here" ... a phrase that was used during his PUMA signature sneaker release.

The pieces also feature a set of red flames on each wrist, which move up Melo's forearm.

We're told there's also another tattoo on each of Melo's thumbs, which reads "Golden Child" ... and is etched in gold ink.

Herchell tells us it was about a 7-hour appointment ... and the images will be used for Melo's next shoe.

As we previously reported, Melo added a unique angel and "Rare" to his forearm last June ... and a massive #1 chest piece with wings back in 2019.

Melo didn't leave Carrasco empty-handed -- the artist showed off a pretty sick gift he got from the hooper ... an autographed jersey with a special message etched on it.

"My brudda Rock! Love You Family," LaMelo signed the threads ... including his soon-to-be jersey number 1.

Just a matter of time before the dude catches up to Wiz Khalifa.

LeBron James' Lakers took plenty of Ls in the last 12 months ... but The King's bank account certainly didn't -- because the L.A. superstar raked in a reported $121 MILLION this past year!!

Forbes just released its annual "top-10 highest-paid athletes in the world" list ... and LBJ came in second place, just behind Lionel Messi, who the outlet reports garnered around $130 million.

Forbes says LBJ's cash flow was obviously inflated by his huge Lakers contract -- but his ventures with the new 'Space Jam' flick, his "The Shop: Uninterrupted" talk show, and other endorsement deals pushed him over the $100 million mark, which is quite the feat.

According to the outlet, James is only the 10th athlete ever to earn more than $100 mil in a 12-month span ... and his $121,000,000 figure marks the most ever earned by an NBA player in a year (he previously held the record with $96.5 mil).

Outside of Messi and Bron -- a whole bunch of soccer players and basketball players rounded out the top 10, with Cristiano Ronaldo (#3, $115 million), Neymar (#4, $95 million), Stephen Curry (#5, $92.8 million), Kevin Durant (#6, $92.1 million) and Giannis Antetokounmpo (#10, $80.9 million) making the cut.

The others in the top 10 ... Roger Federer (#7, $90.7 million), Canelo Alvarez (#8, $90 million), and Tom Brady (#9, $83.9 million).

What's interesting ... Conor McGregor for the first time in a long time didn't crack the top 10 -- but don't fret, Forbes says he was close, landing somewhere in the top 50.

As for the 10 dudes at the top of the heap ... Forbes says in total, they all earned a combined $992 million in the last year.

Nikola Jokic will truly never forget winning the 2021-22 NBA MVP award ... because the Denver Nuggets surprised him with the trophy while he was out riding a horse in Serbia!!

The surreal moment was documented by the team on Wednesday ... showing Jokic was (seriously) out on a horse carriage in his home country when the NBA officially named him the league's most valuable player.

And, when Jokic returned from his jaunt ... he teared up at the sight of the trophy -- with Nuggets video revealing the 6-foot-11 center was very emotional outside of his horse stable.

In the clip, you can see Jokic wiped away tears and hugged all of his family and friends in attendance ... and even earned an "M-V-P" chant from some of them while he admired the trophy.

Jokic went on to do an interview with media members from inside the stables ... where a coughing dog actually interrupted one of his answers!!

Of course, Jokic is used to all the animal chaos ... he's owned horses for years and has talked repeatedly about how amazing the pets have been for him.

The MVP award, meanwhile, is the second one in as many years for the 27-year-old ... and, it was expected. After all, Jokic killed it this year, averaging 27.1 points per game, 13.8 rebounds and 7.9 assists.

Michigan State fans are honoring Adreian Payne in a very Spartan way -- painting a tribute to the former hoops star on the famous boulder in the middle of the school's campus.

MSU supporters inked "RIP AP #5" on "The Rock" -- a monument on the university's campus since 1873 -- just two days after Payne was shot and killed following a dispute outside of a Florida home on Monday.

The fans also painted a message on the rock referencing Payne's touching friendship with 8-year-old cancer patient Lacey Holsworth.

"Adreian + Lacey ❤ together again," the note read.

There were also several bouquets of flowers left near the monument, too.

Payne played at MSU from 2010 to 2014 -- and helped lead the team to an Elite Eight appearance in his senior season.

Spartans head coach Tom Izzo -- along with many others in the basketball community -- mourned Payne's death on Monday, saying in a statement, "Adreian was loved by his teammates and coaches, who respected his development as a player and a person."

LeBron James appears to be sending a message to his haters who think he isn't working hard this offseason ... by posting videos of him hitting the gym shirtless at 5 AM!

James threw up the clips on his Instagram on Wednesday morning ... showing that despite being on a few vacays the last several weeks, the Akron native is still getting after it, and is still completely jacked.

James captioned one of the videos at 5 AM by writing, "The perfect place to pull up on to relieve so stress! Time to work."

He then showed off his chiseled shoulders, chest and abs while getting in some kettlebell and cable work.

Of course, the timing of the posts is interesting ... LBJ's been under a lot of scrutiny lately from fans who believe he's been enjoying his offseason just a little too much after the Lakers' disappointing season.

Bron's been spotted vacationing in the Maldives with his wife, Savannah, as well as in Miami ... where he partied his face off for the F1's Grand Prix event.

So, were these vids a clap back at the haters?!?

Getting the New York Giants' #5 jersey number from Graham Gano cost Kayvon Thibodeaux a whopping $50K ... but don't worry, the kicker said the cash is on its way to a VERY good cause!!!

Here's the deal ... Gano has worn the NY #5 since 2020, but after Thibodeaux was picked in the first round of the NFL Draft -- the star rookie wanted it badly.

After all, the 6-foot-4 pass rusher wore it when he starred for the Oregon Ducks from 2019 to 2021 -- AND he was also the #5 overall pick in last month's draft.

So, Gano cut an agreement with the former All-American ... send $50K to Puppies Behind Bars -- an org. that "trains incarcerated individuals to raise service dogs for wounded war veterans and first responders" -- and the jersey is yours.

Thibodeaux apparently gladly cut the check -- 'cause Gano is wearing #9 now.

"The whole idea behind the number five being special to myself and being special to Kayvon was being able to help five people get the five dogs and be able to make an impact in five people's lives for the better," Gano said.

"While it is special to me as well, there's a whole lot of meaning in that No. 5 to him."

Gano added, "I just wanted to be a good teammate and also be able to support others throughout the whole process."

So, the 35-year-old kicker -- who set a franchise record with three 50-yard plus field goals against the Cowboys in the 2020 season -- will wear #9 ... for the time being.

"I can be No. 9 and maybe in 10-15 years when he retires and I'm still kicking, I can get No. 5 back," Gano joked.

Sad news in the NBA world ... Hall of Famer Bob Lanier passed away on Tuesday at 73 years old.

The Detroit Pistons legend -- who made eight All-Star teams in 14 seasons -- died following a short illness, the NBA announced. He was surrounded by his family when he passed, the league added.

"I learned so much from Bob by simply watching how he connected with people," NBA commissioner, Adam Silver, said in a statement mourning Lanier's death on Tuesday night. "He was a close friend who I will miss dearly, as will so many of his colleagues across the NBA who were inspired by his generosity."

"We send our deepest condolences to Bob's family and friends."

Lanier -- who gained notoriety for his size 22 shoes -- was taken by the Detroit Pistons with the #1 overall pick in the 1970 NBA Draft ... and he went on to star for the Motor City for the next decade, averaging 22.7 points per game and 11.8 rebounds per game.

The 6-foot-11, 250-pound big man later went on to star for the Bucks -- playing four seasons in Milwaukee before retiring following the 1983-84 season.

Silver called Lanier one of "the most talented centers in the history of the NBA."

Following his career on the court, Lanier briefly coached the Golden State Warriors. He later became a global ambassador for the NBA and a special assistant to commissioner David Stern and then Silver.

"His impact on the league went far beyond what he accomplished on the court," Silver said.
"For more than 30 years, Bob served as our global ambassador and as a special assistant to David Stern and then me, traveling the world to teach the game's values and make a positive impact on young people everywhere."

Silver continued, "It was a labor of love for Bob, who was one of the kindest and most genuine people I have ever been around. His enormous influence on the NBA was also seen during his time as President of the National Basketball Players Association, where he played a key role in the negotiation of a game-changing collective bargaining agreement."